The Rupee opened weaker on Wednesday, vulnerable to slipping past the 96-per-dollar mark once again as hopes for an imminent ?end to the Middle East conflict have ebbed, keeping portfolio and merchant ?flows skewed against it. Iran said on Tuesday the U.S. had violated a ceasefire by striking ?targets near the contested Strait of Hormuz, potentially complicating efforts to bring the ?three-month-long war to a close. Brent crude fell in Asia trading but stayed ?in the vicinity of $100 per barrel, weighing down oil-sensitive Asian currencies such as ?the Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso. Worries over the economic risks to India from the Iran ?war have kept foreign portfolio capital in a steady exit mode with overseas investors selling more than $24 billion of Indian stocks and bonds between March and so far in May. The yen hovered close to its May low versus ?the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, near levels that spurred Japanese currency intervention in recent weeks, as traders weighed the risks of a renewed flare-up in the Iran war. The New ?Zealand dollar gained after the Reserve Bank's policy committee signalled that interest rate hikes would ?likely be necessary in the coming months, after leaving policy steady as had ?been widely predicted. The safe-haven U.S. dollar was steady after edging higher against major peers a day earlier, as ?U.S. strikes on Iran dented optimism for a near-term end to hostilities and a reopening of the ?crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping channel. The yen crept up slightly to 159.28 per dollar on Wednesday, but remained close to the ?160 level that many market participants view as a red line for intervention to support it. The dollar index , which measures the currency against the yen and five other rivals, was little changed at 99.11 after ?adding ?0.15% on Tuesday. The euro gained slightly to $1.1637. The Aussie slipped 0.09% ?to $0.7160, reversing an earlier gain, after data showed the annual inflation rate cooled to 4.2% in April, compared with 4.6% in March ?and analysts' forecasts of 4.4%. New Zealand's dollar jumped 0.6% to $0.5873. Oil prices pulled back from recent highs on Wednesday, erasing some of ?the previous day's 4% gain as traders sought ?clarity on complex negotiations between Iran and the U.S. after renewed hostilities set back efforts to reopen the Strait ?of Hormuz. Brent crude futures fell $1.42, or 1.43%, to $98.16 ?a barrel as of 0253 GMT, while ?U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost $1.66, or 1.77%, ?to $92.23 a barrel.......